Indian Army officer abducted from home in Manipur's Thoubal

Officials said the JCO, identified as Konsam Kheda Singh, a resident of Charangpat Mamang Leikai, was on leave when some people barged into his home at 9 am and bundled him in a vehicle and fled.

Guwahati: A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Army was abducted at gunpoint by unidentified miscreants from his home in Thoubal district in Manipur on Friday morning.

An army official posted in Manipur, however, said he was released in the evening in an area under Waikhong police station in Kakching district. Thoubal and Kakching are Meitei-dominated districts.

The JCO, Kansam Kheda Singh, is on leave and was sitting at his home at Charangpat when some miscreants came in a vehicle and took him away at around 9.30 am. Police said the reason behind his abduction is not yet known.

Amid the ethnic conflict involving the Meiteis and the Kukis, Imphal Valley of Manipur has also witnessed a surge in unlawful activities such as abduction, extortion, vehicle lifting and robberies.

Security forces have stepped up operations to check such unlawful activities and have arrested several persons and seized the stolen items in the past few weeks.

Members of several Meitei insurgent groups have also been arrested by police for their alleged involvement in such unlawful activities. Some abducted persons have also been rescued.